Movie News

‘Metropolis’ Poster Sells for Record Sum

A movie buff has splashed out a record $690,000 on an original poster promoting Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi classic Metropolis.

An unnamed American collector bought the poster designed by Heinz Schilz-Neudamm, which is one of only four known copies, from London's Reel Poster Gallery.

Tony Nourmand, co-owner of the Reel Poster Gallery, says, "It's a landmark design. Most of the posters would have been hung on billboards and then thrown away. This one was in absolutely pristine condition and was obviously never used."

The sale represents the highest sum of money paid for a poster of any description—the previous record buy was a poster for Boris Karloff's 1932 movie The Mummy, which fetched $452,000 at an auction.